Comment (10 SmartPoints)

Did you like the blog? Do you have some more information on the topic? Did it bring up any questions? Let the author know! Comment and earn 10 SmartPoints!

Follow This Blogger (20 SmartPoints)

Get automatic updates when they write new blogs and earn 20 SmartPoints when you follow this blogger.

Need Help? If you're feeling a little lost and you need some help using this page, please visit our Help Center HERE.Want More SmartPoints Info? A complete listing of the activities that will earn you SmartPoints on the Network and their conditions is available HERE.

Prosthetic paw saves dogs life!

Hello and welcome once again to The Kibble, here to bring you the most recent in dog news, research and more. Today, we share a heart-filled story about a dog that was given his life back with a prosthetic paw!

Imagine adopting a little pit bull puppy and then at 2 months old you find out he has a bone deformity. That’s what happened to these owners and they were faced with a hard decision – amputation or euthanasia. Unfortunately, they couldn’t afford amputation…but then something miraculous happened!

A veterinary technician, Xenia Onofre, decided to give this puppy a second chance, “He was young and he was a puppy. I felt like he deserved a chance to be a dog and be a puppy.”

She decided to take him in for surgery free of charge, no strings attached. Skip went in for two surgeries, but the skin wasn’t healing and Skip kept scratching at it (I would too if I were him!). More measures had to be taken to save his leg, so Onofre got a hold of the same doctor that made the first prosthetic dolphin tail – Doctor Green at Merced’s Hanger Clinic.

After meeting with Skip, Dr. Greene was able to shed some light on why he needed a prosthetic, “Without that paw, it puts stress on the other joints of his body, wearing him out prematurely. We needed to do something so he could walk on that leg.”

And they did! A mold was made of his leg and a new “paw” was made. Skip’s “paw” is a plastic cup-like device with two straps on either side of his leg to hold it on. As soon as the prosthetic was strapped onto Skip’s leg, he started running around. Skip was his happy self!

This just goes to show that what may look like a sad situation, can turn into a inspirational story. It took a many surgeries and determination for Skip to be where he is today. But, he is a happy healthy dog that plays around, loves his owners and just wants to have fun.